It's Not Our Year?
- Thread starter BfromCT
- Start date
Short answer: yes. This team has a much, much better chance of making it to the FF than most of the other ~350 D1 schools. The NC is something else. UConn, assuming they go through at least 1 very good team to get to the FF, they would then have to go through 2 top teams for the NC. A very tall order, but stranger things have happened...
msf22b
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Yesterday's win, though far from perfect
will strike fear into the heart of the community
Who wants to face his developing monstrosity in the sweet 16
True, DePaul is not a defensive juggernaut
But they surely made an effort last night.
And the home cooking reffing gave them a big advanage
Yet the Husky's climbed out of the hole they had dug and prevailed.
Finally, some shooters came back
I think Geno really enjoyed being able to sub guards...went overboard?
Folks who critique Liv's play, forget the confusion and doubt
the ref's must have sown...She's fine.
This was a great team win, now if we can get the laggards to regain form
UConn will be a tough (perhaps impossible) out.
will strike fear into the heart of the community
Who wants to face his developing monstrosity in the sweet 16
True, DePaul is not a defensive juggernaut
But they surely made an effort last night.
And the home cooking reffing gave them a big advanage
Yet the Husky's climbed out of the hole they had dug and prevailed.
Finally, some shooters came back
I think Geno really enjoyed being able to sub guards...went overboard?
Folks who critique Liv's play, forget the confusion and doubt
the ref's must have sown...She's fine.
This was a great team win, now if we can get the laggards to regain form
UConn will be a tough (perhaps impossible) out.
HuskyNan
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The Huskies finally got comfortable with the team they had available and then at the last second, Christyn and Azzi play. The game plan may not have had them so prominent in the offense
cferraro04
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Playing DePaul in Chicago is a tough order in any given season...their style of basketball...run and gun...taking lots of 3s and hitting enough of them to keep the score in the 80s and 90s makes them a tough opponent. Throw in Nazlah Morrow who was the closest thing to unstoppable that I have seen in a long time. I will not address the officiating as I don't think on a neutral court that this will be an issue.
UConn's flaws during this stretch were exposed but realistically it isn't like we had the pieces to cover them up. In the past when UConn would lose a major player they had enough players to cover up the loss however, during this stretch the losses came in bunches. At one time we lost two players to transfer portal and say what you will but that was two bodies one of which Mir MacLean I believe could have helped us especially with Aubrey Griffin being lost for the season. Then having Paige, Azzi, NIka and Aubrey out of the line-up that left UConn in an extremely depleted position and hiding flaws became impossible. Then just when you think you are getting back on track you lose Christyn Williams for three games.
I think UConn dodged a bullet last night because without the return of Williams and Azzi Fudd and without them playing surprisingly well given their extended absence from the team and its practices we would not have won that game.
This brings us to what to expect from the future...quite simply UConn at full strength is going to be a tough out for any team including South Carolina, Stamford. Louisville, Oregon...whatever. Players Olivia, Williams, Dorka, Ducharme and Muhl have had to bite the bullet and have had to channel their inner "if it is meant to be...it is up to me" persona. The net effect is a much better team where everyone is contributing. Some players like Evina and Edwards seem to be out of rhythm and some of our bigs on the bench haven't developed enough yet (DeBerry and Gabriel). Just imagine what other teams will face if Evina, Edwards, DeBerry and Gabriel round into shape and can contribute nightly to the outcome of the game. Just think.... They will be scary good!
I think having a starting five of Olivia, Williams, Paige, Azzi and Caroline is a nightmare for any team. And, with a potent Dorka, Muhl, Westbrook and Edwards coming off the bench and DeBerry and Gabriele giving meaningful minutes in the 4th quarter there will just be no reprieve for opposing teams...they will not be able to match UConn's deep bench. Of course, I may be asking too much of the second squad (Evina, Edwards, Muhl, Dorka and DeBerry) but just think about what would happen if they did step up.
It could mean number 12. I could mean that this group of kids could do something special. Coming from a 4 seed and winning a national championship in Women's college basketball that has lacked the parity in the past for this to happen would be something special,
UConn's flaws during this stretch were exposed but realistically it isn't like we had the pieces to cover them up. In the past when UConn would lose a major player they had enough players to cover up the loss however, during this stretch the losses came in bunches. At one time we lost two players to transfer portal and say what you will but that was two bodies one of which Mir MacLean I believe could have helped us especially with Aubrey Griffin being lost for the season. Then having Paige, Azzi, NIka and Aubrey out of the line-up that left UConn in an extremely depleted position and hiding flaws became impossible. Then just when you think you are getting back on track you lose Christyn Williams for three games.
I think UConn dodged a bullet last night because without the return of Williams and Azzi Fudd and without them playing surprisingly well given their extended absence from the team and its practices we would not have won that game.
This brings us to what to expect from the future...quite simply UConn at full strength is going to be a tough out for any team including South Carolina, Stamford. Louisville, Oregon...whatever. Players Olivia, Williams, Dorka, Ducharme and Muhl have had to bite the bullet and have had to channel their inner "if it is meant to be...it is up to me" persona. The net effect is a much better team where everyone is contributing. Some players like Evina and Edwards seem to be out of rhythm and some of our bigs on the bench haven't developed enough yet (DeBerry and Gabriel). Just imagine what other teams will face if Evina, Edwards, DeBerry and Gabriel round into shape and can contribute nightly to the outcome of the game. Just think.... They will be scary good!
I think having a starting five of Olivia, Williams, Paige, Azzi and Caroline is a nightmare for any team. And, with a potent Dorka, Muhl, Westbrook and Edwards coming off the bench and DeBerry and Gabriele giving meaningful minutes in the 4th quarter there will just be no reprieve for opposing teams...they will not be able to match UConn's deep bench. Of course, I may be asking too much of the second squad (Evina, Edwards, Muhl, Dorka and DeBerry) but just think about what would happen if they did step up.
It could mean number 12. I could mean that this group of kids could do something special. Coming from a 4 seed and winning a national championship in Women's college basketball that has lacked the parity in the past for this to happen would be something special,
After the loss to Villanova, let me reopen this thread with some additional comments, most of which have been discussed on the postgame thread and I am certain that I will be repeating most of the thoughts relayed at that time. This also follows Carnac’s message #25.
It looks as though UConn will be a #3 seed for the Big Dance, assuming no more stumbles along the way and, since the team will be facing DePaul and Marquette again in the regular season and probably two of DePaul, Marquette, and Villanova in the Big East tournament, we cannot automatically assume that the Huskies will not lose any more games before the NCAAs. Such largely depends on whom is available to play. The Huskies will have a tough haul against both DePaul today and Marquette on Sunday if ONO and Ducharme continue to be unavailable.
As I see it, the team has two difficulties that must be overcome for any deep run in the NCAA tournament. First, inconsistent front court play and, second, lack of shooters. Our down low weakness was on full display against Villanova - ONO was out, Dorka is injured, and Edwards was totally ineffective. In the Edwards case, the problem was largely due to fouls away from the ball not due to trying to block shots or preventing an opponent of getting to the basket. The Huskies basically have three good outside shooters - Bueckers, Ducharme, and Fudd - and thus far it seems as though only one has been available at a time. Nika, Evina, and Christyn are too inconsistent from long range and without enough good shooters, the inside gets clogged up and limits driving to basket.
To have any chance of getting to the Final Four, UConn needs healthy ONO, Dorka, and Edwards, and Aaliyah needs to play the way she did against Tennessee and not against Villanova. In addition, we need a healthy back court with at least Azzi and Caroline in full stride. We can hope that Bueckers will be available and healthy, but I don’t think we can count on it. It is possible that she will be back for the Big East tournament and/or the NCAAs but we cannot know for certain.
If the bigs are healthy and we have two of our most reliable outside shooters available, then a march to the regional finals is not out of the question. To go any farther, we need Paige. Otherwise, I’m afraid that our streak of Final Fours will end, as have several other streaks during the season. Go Huskies!
It looks as though UConn will be a #3 seed for the Big Dance, assuming no more stumbles along the way and, since the team will be facing DePaul and Marquette again in the regular season and probably two of DePaul, Marquette, and Villanova in the Big East tournament, we cannot automatically assume that the Huskies will not lose any more games before the NCAAs. Such largely depends on whom is available to play. The Huskies will have a tough haul against both DePaul today and Marquette on Sunday if ONO and Ducharme continue to be unavailable.
As I see it, the team has two difficulties that must be overcome for any deep run in the NCAA tournament. First, inconsistent front court play and, second, lack of shooters. Our down low weakness was on full display against Villanova - ONO was out, Dorka is injured, and Edwards was totally ineffective. In the Edwards case, the problem was largely due to fouls away from the ball not due to trying to block shots or preventing an opponent of getting to the basket. The Huskies basically have three good outside shooters - Bueckers, Ducharme, and Fudd - and thus far it seems as though only one has been available at a time. Nika, Evina, and Christyn are too inconsistent from long range and without enough good shooters, the inside gets clogged up and limits driving to basket.
To have any chance of getting to the Final Four, UConn needs healthy ONO, Dorka, and Edwards, and Aaliyah needs to play the way she did against Tennessee and not against Villanova. In addition, we need a healthy back court with at least Azzi and Caroline in full stride. We can hope that Bueckers will be available and healthy, but I don’t think we can count on it. It is possible that she will be back for the Big East tournament and/or the NCAAs but we cannot know for certain.
If the bigs are healthy and we have two of our most reliable outside shooters available, then a march to the regional finals is not out of the question. To go any farther, we need Paige. Otherwise, I’m afraid that our streak of Final Fours will end, as have several other streaks during the season. Go Huskies!
.-.
CL82
James Breeding sucks
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This season does have a “heroic quest“ flavor about it, doesn’t it?Earlier this season I laid out the bones of a movie plot... a high ranked team's Star player goes down early in the season with serious injury, many think all hope is lost. Then another player goes down, and then another...some to injury some to COVID. A few players "jump ship"... but those that remained healthy and available rally around each other, and the coaches change their approach to many game plans. They battle their way through the season, they learn and grow together through each win and loss, they improve their individual and Team play. As the season gets to 2nd half, the injured and sick return one by one. The Team blends them in and the Coaches make needed adjustments to continue to improve. Before the BIG Dance all sick and injured are back in uniform...rally around each other and take one step at a time... all the way to the final 4.....and then?????
Who knows, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!!! We have the pieces...just need to get them all well and healthy.
It's gonna be fun to watch!!! Just have to come up with a catchy title for the movie...
Not that we’re not doomed, because we are. Very doomed. Very doomed indeed.
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Ask Aliyah. She was the Div 1 WBB NCAA Academic All-American of the Year last year.
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Paige is still being fitted for her cape ;-)
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If SC would play the Quinnipiac team from the1954/55 era that had those two fella's that were lights out from the half court stripe/in. That would be a show.. Anybody remember those two..??
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She has the cape and it looks great on her, she's just picking which shoes to wear and she's good to go!
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The year ain’t over yet.
.-.
CL82
James Breeding sucks
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One, SMALL nugget of gold. Assuming Paige comes back and we make it through the first few rounds of the playoffs, UConn will be impossible to game plan against. Even Geno will be struggling to glue the team back together so doubt anyone else can predict how the final lineup, whatever that ends up being, will play.
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I don't know what the future holds, I need to ask Carnac. I will go way out on a limb and say that no matter how it ends, this season will be talked about for a long time. Do you believe it miracles?
.-.